A Food Blog with Personality

Interiors

You’d think since we moved in a month ago (time flies!) that I’d be ready to do a full-on flat tour, but apparently not!

Whilst we got super lucky with the delivery of our sofa, with it turning up about 1 hour after we got access to the flat, we’ve been less than organised when it comes to sorting out a dining table, chairs and other bits and pieces. In fairness, we’re actually designing a dining table pretty much from scratch so it’s taking a while, but eating off a teeny tiny desk is taking it’s toll!

Our new flat is in a converted school – and the building is full of original features. The corridors are glazed brick, and from the top floor stairwell there’s a stunning view across London, taking in the Eye, Westminster and all of the iconic buildings over in the City (yep, I can see my office, and yes – it’s a little depressing to do so from your home!). Unfortunately our flat doesn’t have quite so nice views, looking over the new modern school next-door, but hey it’s better than bins or a carpark! The best thing though? Wooden floorboards (a flat-lay dream!) and double-heighted ceilings. It makes the space look and feel so much bigger…but onto the tour!

Starting with the main living area (ignoring the big space for the dining area!). Now, aforementioned sofa was a bit of a nightmare to find. We knew what we wanted. We just couldn’t find exactly it. We veryyyyyy nearly ordered the Dylan from Made, but in the end a 15% offer from Swoon and slightly better despatch time had us order one from Swoon Editions (now sold out). In retrospect it was a great decision. The ‘cushions’ are attached so there’s no sliding around, and the colour is lighter and just slightly nicer – though I’ve had to ban chocolate binges on the sofa for now!

Of course, a new sofa means new cushions (and blankets!) and these ones from Rooi are SUCH good quality. Thick, non-scratchy material and a plump insert, they’ve made my slightly unforgiving sofa a lot more comfy. We went for the Goose & Dandelion*, and the Bee Cushion in Grey*. A bit of a backstory here – I’m terrified of geese, W really isn’t a fan of bees. So yep, I got cushions to represent the things we are scared of!

This bit of the flat isn’t quite yet finished though. We’d like to pick up a side-table (I’ve already kicked one cup of tea flying…) and I’m desperate for a mustard-yellow armchair too. If anyone has seen one that’s not over £250 let me know!

Oh, and apparently we need a large TV too…

We’ve kept pretty much the same desk set-up as in our previous flat. I’m working on getting some slightly nicer pen pots, and we desperately need a desk lamp but it’s quite a nice place to work – being right by the big windows means plenty of natural light on study days which was a big problem last year.

The kitchen is quite possibly my favourite part of our new flat. It’s not huge, but it’s layout means it feels SO much bigger than our previous one. Sure, I miss the clean whiteness (and ease of taking photos) in the old one, but I’m loving being able to dance around the kitchen, not have to plan ahead about when/where I can plug things in and having a decent size fridge! No more playing tetris with the food shop…

There’s a lack of kitchen photos in this post purely because I had no motivation to clean it. So just trust me when I say it’s a lot bigger than it looks!

The kitchen layout also means we have a moveable ‘island’ where we’ve installed our stand mixer. The baskets underneath are perfect for storing baking bits, so we’re managing to do just that little bit more now. Just in time to for the Bake Off Bake Along!

The bedroom is both our most and least finished room in the house. We don’t *need* anything else in there, but we feel it’s a little bare.Though it’s far better now W has built these lovely bedside tables! It’s home to what is the biggest wardrobe I’ve ever had, so everything is neatly stored away. I’d really love a double bed in here, but that’s the problem with renting – it’s difficult to make big changes. I reckon more cushions will make this room look a bit more cosy and inviting…

Oh, and we have a bath. I may or may not have indulged in one most nights since we moved in…

I can’t quite believe we’ve held the keys to our little flat for three months now; it’s gone so quickly, but equally it feels like it’s been our home forever.

We’re only renting so are a little restricted with what we can and can’t do – no painting or banging things into the wall. Luckily everything was already in a very ‘us’ colour scheme – netural but with splashes of colour (red in the kitchen and living area, purple in the bedroom). We’ve played on this and added in bits and bobs in those colours and now you’d never tell this wasn’t “our” place.

Of course, I had to add touches of grey and copper everywhere too. So blogger-esque. We picked up some lovely desk lamps in IKEA that work really well at the side of the bed – and I spent hours hunting down the perfect floor lamp for the lounge area. I found it: one with an exposed bulb, wire cage, copper AND marble. For under £40 this was a bit of a steal. I’m forever hunting down cushions that would work and our bedding took a lot of research. I find my skin is super sensitive to bedding material (I still have the scars from a reaction to Primark sheets three years ago), so if anyone finds a super-soft and cosy white set I’d love to know about it!

One of my favourite areas in the flat is, I say rather lazily, my bed. I’ve created a really cosy little corner and there’s nothing I love more than snugging up with a warm drink and a good book. W built me some ever-so-on-trend ladder shelves to fit in my tiny gap between bed and wall. Dressed with fairy lights, I think they look pretty damn good! They’re perfect for storing all my bits and bobs: bridal magazines; books;lip balms and probably a few too many used mugs!

And the best thing about living with W? I get part-ownership of his Kitchen Aid – when he’s out of the flat at least! (Or, as he says, I get to use his Kitchen Aid). It makes whipping up a batch of his famous cookies far too easy, plus we have an ice-cream attachment. He made a Chocolate & Whisky ice-cream a few weeks back and it was divine. I definitely need to keep up my exercise regime now baking is such a huge part of our lives.

For what is essentially a studio flat, we have far too many things, far too much stuff. We have a lot of much-loved nick-nacks (we’ll be looking for a bigger place if we I bring home any more). You’d never know from our bookshelves that half of our cookbook collection is actually still in Northampton. The majority of my clothes are stored in boxes under the bed (though shush, I’m not sure W is aware of how many clothes I actually have!). Yet we have a gorgeous flat, with equally gorgeous views – and of course our “pets!”

Where do you get your homeware bits from? Any recommendations for copper pieces?

One of the things I have always, always wanted, ever since I was a little girl, was a grown-up dressing table. When I was younger there was something so impossibly glamorous about the idea, even though no-one I knew had one. Somewhere to sit and get ready for the day, somewhere to display my perfume, and the pretty bits of my makeup collection.

When showing you my ‘summer room‘ (i.e. how I’d done up my old childhood room for the last few months I’d be spending in it, post-university and pre-graduate job), I introduced my mini-dressing table. Made up of my fold-up desk (Argos), and wicker drawers (similar in Wilkinson), and then my makeup storage, this fits in perfectly next to my sofa bed and lets me have all my bits and bobs to hand – so useful as I’m here, there and everywhere this summer. I’m not too sure that, other than Brighton, I’ve spent more than two nights in the same place since the beginning of July!

Unfortunately I’m not to sure whether Ian bring this set-up with me when I move – whilst it isn’t overly big, and our flat isn’t ridiculously small, I know I’d sooner use any spare space to set up a little desk. After-all, when working full-time I know damn well I’ll be running around in the morning, throwing makeup on whilst eating my breakfast, so someone dedicated to sitting and getting ready just isn’t worth it.

All above photographs taken, in order, from the blog posts linked below.

That hasn’t, however, stopped me lusting after other bloggers’ dressing table set-ups though! One of my favourite type of posts to read is room tours (what can I say, I’m nosey!). Jasmine has given me some major goals with the products she has on hers, plus I have major respect for this girl – so much stuff, yet it all looks so tidy. I don’t know how she does it! I adore Kate’s interior style, and have done for years, and her dressing table is no exception. I love how modern it looks, whilst still being luxurious. If my flat looks half as lovely as hers does, I’ll be one happy girly! Sticking with the more modern look, I love how Kerry has combined a dressing table with a workspace, this is definitely something I’ll have to see if I can squeeze into the flat. I’m loving the motivational quotes too! Belle’s dressing table is a lot more traditional, a lot more like my childhood dreams and I’m definitely in love. One thing I’ll definitely be doing in my new flat is adding a bit of greenery to the space; I’ve been desperate for some catci/succulents for a while now, so this is the perfect time. I love how Rebecca has mixed cacti onto her dressing table, giving the feminine beauty products a more masculine background!

So many gorgeous dressing tables out there, the blogging world is full of inspiration. And don’t get me started on Pinterest, I may as well have my own ‘dressing table dream’ board on there. In fact, I may just create one right now…

Are you a fan of dressing tables? If you’ve posted a room tour post, please send over the link!

Finishing university in May and not starting my job until September (and having no money for London rent in the meantime!) has meant that I’ve had to do some serious sorting and chucking-out in order to squeeze four years of accumulated stuff into my childhood bedroom.

It might have taken 10 hours (including sorting the garage out, in the cold early May bank holiday drizzle), it might have involved lots of swearing, repeatedly dropping heavy items on the same foot and re-shuffling furniture multiple times, but I’ve finally gotten it just about right. Including the dressing table of this little blogger’s dreams…

My room is a difficult one to get looking right – it’s not the biggest, I have a chunky wardrobe (that we can’t move around as the back has fallen off and we’re pretty sure the whole thing will collapse if moved!). I also have a sofa bed – bought to replace my child-ish single a few years ago. So whilst I probably could put the sofa in a better place, I need to be able to expand it out into a bed each night. Hence difficulties. That said, I’m super happy with how it’s looking at the moment.

I’ve got my bookcase in one corner – this was the first purchase I made with my first ever pay packet! I’m a huge reader in my spare time and this took a LOT of sorting out. Hopefully my local charity shops are pleased with the two huge boxes packed full of books I’ve donated! I’ve kept just my favourites, as well as some I want to read again and then pass on. And yes, I organise into colour order…I also have a little area where I’ve put all my wedding bits and pieces (I really need to sort through this stuff at some point!).

Then there’s the dressing table, which is just my fold-up desk from uni put into another corner, with the storage box that came with my sofa bed (which hides away bedding) as a seat. This also gives me a hidey-hole for any mess too! I’m loving that all my makeup and skincare bits are a bit more to hand, and it also means I don’t have to rely on the family bathroom being free to get ready.

Oh, and no childhood bedroom is complete without childhood best friend – meet Bear! He is actually a Baloo from the Jungle Book, but as you can see he was very well loved…

A few little touches, including the gorgeous cushions my sister got me and W for Christmas, and I’ve really made this into a lovely little spot for relaxing and blogging in over the summer. Now I just have to placate my dad for the loss of his home office for the summer…!

I’ve loved doing this post each year, and this year I’m super proud of my room. In my first year I made my halls rather homely, in second year I filled my huge room up as much as possible. I didn’t really get to personalise my third year room, as I’d rented it through Spareroom and lived in with my landlady. This has only resulted me going all out with my room this year!

And it just so happens that I’m also in the tiniest room ever.

My placement year room was small, but it was also full of furniture. This year my room is crammed with a double bed, side table and wardrobe. No room for much else, I’d really prefer a single bed and a little more space, though I have squeezed in a fold-up desk. It actually turns out that I love my little space, it’s a lot cosier than the rooms I’ve had before!

I’ve squeezed in a lot of stuff, I’ve even got an empty drawer at the moment! I’ve picked up some great hints and tips for storage, I don’t think my room has ever been this organised…

My favourite buy has got to be this shower caddy from Wilko. I’ve put in on a coat hook above my desk and it’s the perfect fit for my stationery. I’ve also turned my bags into a bit of a feature – popping my leather tote on the hooks (and using it as storage), and also my mini-satchel on other hooks on my wardrobe.

Speaking of my wardrobe, I’m super proud of how tidy and organised it is! I picked up an organisation system from Sainsbury’s (£10 – bargain!). I’ve used the two shelf racks in my wardrobe to store just about everything – I’ve found that storage solutions are so key when living in a tiny room! Literally every single item of clothing I have with me is crammed in here! There’s no space for much else, hence the spending ban I’ve put in place…

I’ve got a few nick-nacks, but I’m definitely gone a lot more minimal than previous years.

Another great buy was the slim wicker drawers, again from Wilko. They are a perfect size for hiding away bits and pieces – though most of them are storing my makeup. Whilst I love having acrylic drawers, I’m also enjoying having things hidden away.

I couldn’t resist showing you around our not-so-little house either. We’ve actually rented one in a little village just outside of Canterbury so it’s super quiet, a little cheaper, and still only a ten minute walk onto campus. The stroll in often involves saying hi to the local horses, I’ve even filled my freezer with blackberries. We have a gorgeous original fireplace, which we’ve decorated with candles and fairy lights. I had some gorgeous flowers delivered from Appleyard too – the Hot Toddy bouquet* fits in wonderfully with our living room and just adds the finishing touch. If only we could afford fresh flowers all the time!

The house is lovely, my housemates are even lovelier – it’s going to be a great end to university!

Have you done a room tour post? Link me if you have – I’m so nosey and love them!

I’m not sure if I’ve ever written one of these before, but it’s a post/topic I love reading on other blogs. I’m nosey, I want to peek into other people’s lives, and I want this space to feel like you are getting to know the real me. Well, the real me doesn’t have a bedside table that looks like this.

Our ‘real’ bedside table is messy, it’s got receipts and pennies thrown on it, it’s covered in lipstick smudges, it’s invariably dusty. For this photos I wiped off the lipstick and the smudges, and threw the mess onto the bed. Disclaimer over…

Our bedroom is was (*sad face* – we’ve now moved out of London!) teeny tiny, with just a small amount of bedside space on one side. I did utilize the windowsill for vital cups of tea, but otherwise this is all we had. I think we did pretty well to share this small space!

My makeup took up a significant amount of room (and yep, everyday essentials and lipsticks were kept elsewhere!), but so did his books…

I use “Muji Dupes” easily found in stationery shops like Rymans. They’re significantly cheaper than Muji, but also significantly smaller. Foundation bottles don’t fit, nor do eyeshadow palettes. One day I’ll invest in Muji and be a proper blogger…Longer items and makeup brushes were thrown placed into a large pencil pot and placed on the floor.

Then we have books. The majority are his, though I kept my Once A Day Diary at the bedside. That was pretty much in vain, as I’ve hardly used it recently. I really need to go back and start filling in days I’ve missed!

On the top we have a lamp I originally hated when we moved in (I thought it was far too bulky and masculine) but I’ve grown to like it – it definitely is a feature in such a small room. I usually have my ASUS tablet* and Kindle on the top too, for easy access. Espeically in the past few weeks after finishing my placement…I could just lie in bed all morning…The tablet is great for catching up on TV, re-reading blogs and just generally relaxing without a laptop.

Last little bits are purfume (I’m currently using Tom Ford Velvet Orchid, I’d love to be able to afford to make this my signature scent). W wears Paul Smith Extreme, and has since I bought it for our first Valentine’s back in 2013 (all together – “awhhhh”). And of course, no bloggers’ bedside table would be complete without a tub of Nuxe Reve de Miel…

What’s on your bedside table? Send me a link if you’ve written a similar post to this!

I’ve never lived in a big house, big enough for our family of four plus dog(s) but with no space to spare. Our Christmas tree is rarely fully up (we usually leave the bottom, widest part in the loft) as it takes up too much space, and other decorations are placed where we hopefully won’t fall over them immediately. Christmas morning of 1999 saw me fly across the hall floor, colliding my face with the corner of a wooden cabinet, but I think that’s the only more serious accident we’ve had. That and my granddad virtually sawing his hand off whilst potting the tree (we now have a fake one!) but that’s another story…

Since becoming a student, I’ve found decorating for Christmas a real struggle. For one there’s the lack of pennies. Then there’s the horrendous pre-existing colour scheme in halls, that nothing matches. And of course, you more than likely move every year, so you need something to go with everything. And you also don’t want to go to over the top, as it will still be up when you return from your holidays mid-January.

Wilko has become my new-go to for cheap home accessories over the past two (gulp!) years. It’s pretty good quality, but also lightweight – perfect for lugging back from town without a car, and for packing up each and every year. Colours are bright and cheerful, and that brings me onto my next point. I try not to have too much of a theme when it comes to decorating for Christmas. My mum’s tree is a gorgeous combination of teal and gold, and I can’t wait to have a fully coordinating decor theme in a few years time. But whilst I’m trying to fit things into rented rooms, I’m going for a light reflecting silver, and lots of bright contrasting colours.

My plan this year (I try to switch it up so I don’t get bored!) is to hang alternating silver and colour baubles on silver beading, and drape this all around my very small room. The majority of my baubles are from Wilkos, as is the ridiculous cheap beading, and they have them in so many colours. At £5 for all the decorations I needed it was well worth it!

However I was also offered the chance to review some goodies from UK Christmas World, and what better way to test them out by ordering “shatter resistant baubles.” I went for the set of 9 Masquerade Baubles*, and I’m pleased to say they all arrived intact (and very speedily too!). These are huge baubles if I am honest, and very, very glittery. Pleasingly this didn’t mean I had glitter all over my bed after taking these photos – I feel these are really good quality for the price.

Homemade decorations is also a way to go – pine cones look wonderfully festive piled into jars. Me and my boyfriend made a lovely paper star last year, I’m hoping to remember how we did it and post instructions over on instagram soon! So far I haven’t made anything homemade, but I don’t think it will be too long…

My number one top tip for decorating on a budget is to lean towards items which aren’t strictly Christmassy. I fell in love with this Lit Heart*, and couldn’t resist. Again it’s a pretty decent size, and being battery powered means you don’t have to worry about rising electricity bills. Plus I know there will be no rush to take this down come January, it fits in with my current room perfectly.

Good lighting is a much in small spaces. My current room is by far the smallest I’ve lived in since I was 10, and it is a bit of a squeeze. I have to be careful to keep things tidy, and Christmas clutter is not an appealing thought. Keep my room bright with festive lighting, however, is another story. Following on from my previous tip of avoiding being too festive, I picked out this Blossom Tree* – again something that will look lovely come spring.

And of course, no Christmassy room is complete without festive candles! My favourite this year is the Cinnamon & Mandarin offering from MUJI (seriously the best value candles I’ve come across!). The scent throw off is amazing even unlit, and paired with a simple vanilla scent my room is smelling amazing.

I hope it’s not too early to decorate for Christmas! Have you decorated yet? What’s your colour scheme? Any tips for decorating on a budget?

I’ve often found than my love for modern gadgets and shabby chic interiors clash a little. Wires spoil the look, I often hide my laptop away. So when Logitech got in touch asking me to post about blending style with technology, I couldn’t help but be intrigued! Here’s their tips…

Three Ways to Brilliantly Blend Tech into the Home

Will Taylor, interiors author, journalist and blogger, has been used to finding inventive ways to seamlessly introduce technology into his home for many years. Having contended with a myriad of TV’s, computers, control pads and tablets that have passed through his front door over the years, he’s learned that tech doesn’t have to be tricky when it comes to styling the home. Logitech teamed up with Will to shoot the new K830 Living Room keyboard to show how tech can easily fit into people’s everyday lives. Read on for his three top tips to invite tech into your home without impacting on style:

1. Co-Ordinating Colours

Given technology is now so entrenched in our daily lives, it’s ironic that we often consider tech last when it comes to decorating. Whether you already own a TV or decide to invest in a new one when you move into a new home, it’s a good idea to consider upfront where it will be placed in the room, and how it will sit alongside the surrounding decorating scheme.

With some clever pre-planning, you can make a TV an interesting style statement in a space, without having to hide it away behind closed doors. For example, if you have a black TV, pick a wall to hang the TV from and then pick a dark wallpaper or paint for the wall behind. Alternatively, if you have a white TV, you could go for a stylish monochrome scheme and hang a white TV against a black wall to create striking contrast.

Hanging black and white prints in white frames around the TV will help blend it into the gallery wall. This approach will not only stop the TV from overpowering a room, but it will open up valuable floor space, too.

2. Boxed Beauties

Tablets, keyboards, remotes, phones – the living room can quickly become a paraphernalia playground for tech if left unattended, as people increasingly use integrated tech, such as keyboards, to make Smart TVs even more interactive. But the good news is you can clear the clutter by introducing strategically placed storage across your space.

A docking station placed upon a side table is great for keeping charging cords and leads hidden away, without having to continually open and close a unit to use a remote or wireless keyboard; something you would no doubt quickly tire of.

Consider a sleek white lacquered or marble box for a modern, contemporary space, or a jute-lidded tray for a more organic, country-meets-coastal look. Simply pull the wires up through the back, or drill a hole to slide the cables through, and then place your tech on top. You’ll have stylishly streamlined your tech into the space without impacting on practicality.

3. Hue Hero

As technology becomes an ever-greater part of our lives, the colour options available are increasing. The benefit of this means you can now often match your tech to the colour palette of the room. One approach is to opt for a co-ordinated feel between the scheme and the technology by choosing tech designs in the same, or a similar, shade to the main colour in the room. Alternatively, you could switch things up by opting to use colourful technology as the elements for introducing accent colour into a scheme. Simply pick tech items in a contrasting hue to the surrounding scheme and watch the space soar in the style stakes.

Ultimately, the key to successfully blending tech into the home is to consider technology as an element of the decorating scheme in its own right. Alter your decorating approach from the outset so that you consider the role and position of tech in a scheme, and you will find it easier to marry technology with other parts of the space. Taking time to invest in these stylish solutions will streamline how you use and store tech in the home, paying dividends and resulting in a more stylish space.

I definitely agree with hiding cables away in boxes – it looks so much better. I’ve also found that choosing white pieces (like my speakers) goes better with my existing decor, everything blends in so nicely! I’m still in a rented room so have absolutely no freedom in decoration right now, but I’ll definitely be taking these tips with me when I eventually get a little more leeway!

Disclaimer: I was sent the K830 in exchange for publishing this post – I’ll review this soon. As always, all opinions are my own, and I received no monetary compensation for the post.

I’ve lusted over other bloggers’ Muji drawers for far too long, but simply never been able to part with the cash. Its a lot of money, and they are actually quite big – I wasn’t sure if I actually had enough makeup to fill them! Plus with moving to and from university every year I just wasn’t prepared to take the risk of investing and then damaging them. So, Muji drawers out, where to next?

I’ve mainly used the combination of makeup bags (Debenhams range is the best, in my opinion) and pretty mugs to store makeup in, so I was delighted when Viking asked me to choose some products from their site. I immediately honed in on what seemed to be Muji-dupes, in the form of the Osco Desktop Organiser. They do a slightly bigger version here, but I find that this is the perfect size. I’ve now got hold of two (only one came from Viking PR!) and think they look great on my shelves. Plus it seems to be just the right size for my makeup.

The only slight issue is that these aren’t very deep, so they won’t hold foundation bottles. I received the OSCO 5 Tube Pot* to hold my foundations, and it worked perfectly until the tallest tube suddenly snapped. Not sure why it did this, as it seemed strong – I’d still recommend it as I probably had thrown something in it too hard! The delivery from Viking was amazingly quick; I’d actually ordered from them a few times, so it’s definitely a site I love. Anyway, where else can you buy 1kg of Aero Hot Chocolate*?!

As for the rest of my makeup storage? My foundations are currently looking clean, so they are out on a shelf alongside my perfume and room spray. Any brushes and really regularly reached for things like mascara sit in a Cath Kidston mug; I love these as they look great and are a large size. Some people say they are expensive, but really I’ve always got a lot of use out of them; the size makes them perfect for storage and hot chocolates!